NPD: Online Tabletop Sales See Double-Digit Spikes

It looks like shoppers are gravitating heavily to the Internet for their tabletop and dinnerware purchases. Online dinnerware spiked 40 percent and table linen sales were up 23 percent for the 12 months ended Feb. 28, 2014, according to an NPD Group report.

“This is an important shift for the tabletop market to monitor, indicating expanded exposure to a new kind of consumer,” said Debra Mednick, executive director and home industry analyst for NPD.

Total online tabletop sales – which for NPD includes dinnerware, beverageware, flatware and table linens – reached $343 million, up 17 percent. All told, online sales account for 20 percent of total dinnerware sales and 10 percent of table linen sales, according to the report.

Compared to the same period last year, beverageware sales are up 29 percent. Flatware showed the slowest online growth, with sales up only 5 percent.